Ma Maison at The Central Clarke Quay

Hi everyone!

It's not that I have not been out eating, it's just that I have been too busy to blog! But I am back on Sweetly Nice, bringing to you Ma Maison!

Ma Maison @ The Central Clarke Quay

Ma Maison menu. Was this deliberately designed to look like a Singaporean passport?

Location: The Central #03-96, Clarke Quay MRT Station.

Opening Hours: 11.30am - 3pm (lunch), 6pm - 10pm (dinner).

Cuisine: Fusion, Japanese-based.

Price: ~$50/couple

Ambience: Rustic, country.

View: Singapore river along Clarke Quay.

(I figured it is easier for you to read if I put all the quick facts first before the photos, so the sub-sections may seem a little split because the words don't come with the photos. But I will caption all my photos, so you know. I will also go through the review in chronological order, according to how I actually saw the place from when I stepped in.)

Ambience
I am in love with down-to-earth country decor, so you can imagine, when I stepped in, I was awe-struck. This IS my cup of tea. =D

Inside of Ma Maison@The Central.

I don't open bottles outside, but I thought the wine shelf is really pretty, and adds well to that rustic feel. All those drinks also makes part of the wall decor.

The wine shelf.

One of the things that I always notice about a restaurant is how much effort (or sometimes lack of effort) that the management puts into these table side necessities.

Here, you can see that beautiful stain glass lamp, the vintage-style porcelain sugar holder, the little straw basket that contains the chill and pepper.

You can also glimpse a bit of the curtains. The curtains have floral prints and are absolutely in tune with the entire country-style decor of Ma Maison.

Table top decor, sauces and necessities.

View
This Ma Maison has the view of Singapore river, and by the river, are colourful old shophouses. This part actually reminds me of those world heritage sites like Cinque Terre, Italy, and the colourful streets of Mexico.

Of course, Singapore's colourful shophouses are quite far when compared to Cinque Terre, Italy (but I secretly hope some part of Singapore can make the UNESCO World Heritage List).

Regardless, our shophouses by the Singapore river, do carry our colonial past with us; it is our heritage. And if you are down by this part of the Singapore river, you need to get out there, into the sun, and take a walk across (just right across The Central), to visit what is now known as the MICA Building. It is part of our national heritage conservation list (google or Trip Advisor it). It's superbly beautiful, and trust me, MICA building is picture perfect, and will be pretty sitting in your honeymoon album or FB page.

View of a stretch of Singapore River with colourful shophouses on an unfortunately cloudy day, from my seat at Ma Maison.

On to the food!
The first that arrived were the drinks. This is ice tea (no lemon) that comes free with the dessert we ordered. It is very normal, but I took a picture anyway.

My free ice tea with order of dessert.

Next came soup! This is corn soup that comes with an Omu-Rice set.

This is worth getting envious or jealous over! =P You've got to try how smooth and tasty the soup is. As I am typing, I can still taste that balanced sweetness in my mouth. Oh, I am drooling too. I want another bowl.

Fabulous corn soup. Must try.

The next one is a simple bowl of salad. Nothing special. Raw vegetables with standard Japanese sesame dressing, but nevertheless nice enough, and I love it all the same. Again, this came with Omu-Rice set.

Small bowl of salad.

Then they placed this set of sauces on our table.

Sauces for Tonkatsu set.

Both of us were wondering what this is. Turns out, it is sauce for my Tonkatsu and that yellow one is some kind of Japanese mustard. They taste homemade, and yes, you need to try this!

Here comes the main!
This is Omu-Rice. And I am sure you've noticed that flower pattern going on in the brown sauce. The omelette also look oo-lala gorgeous. The omelette is flowy, curvy, just the right shade of yellow, yummy!

Omu-Rice. This Omu-Rice set costs $15.50.

That brown sauce is to-die-for. It is gently sour, well-balanced by a little salt. It does not overwhelms the taste of the omelette, unlike the sauces from some other restaurants. I always find that the other Japanese restaurants use supermarket mass manufactured one that is just way too sour. The best part of Ma Maison brown sauce, really, is that little work of art. Who would have thought that brown sauce can look like milk in latte?

And the egg, oh my, the egg. Speechless. It is fluffy, and not overly-seasoned till too salt.

Next up, Tonkatsu.

Gosh, you will find yourself slurping up this pork chop!

Juicy and soft Tonkatsu (pork chop) but with crispy skin and delicious homemade sauce, $19.50.

I say "slurping" because this is heavenly soft and juicy inside! The crust is crispy, not oily, and it tastes good too. You can eat this plain, or with those special homemade sauces I introduced earlier on, it will taste equally good.

You NEED to try this.

It is by far the best pork chop I've ever eaten.

And I think I have to show you the miso soup that comes with the Tonkatsu set too, because it is so enjoyable. This soup, is what I call, real-brewed. You know, like real-brewed tea? This is real-brew miso soup.

Miso soup that came with Tonkatsu set.

What I mean by real-brewed, is that this is cooked from real ingredients, so you actually get chunks of good soft meat inside, carrots, big pieces of seaweed, etc.

If you go to fast food style Japanese restaurants, they will serve you miso soup that comes out of a machine. Meaning to say, your miso soup comes from a premix packet, kind of like instant noodles, and all you need to do is pump boiling water in, to serve. The ingredients will be minimal, a little bit of tofu, a little bit of seaweed.

But this one by Ma Maison is different. You get what you think Miso Soup is.

And when you're serve high-quality real-brewed miso soup, you drink it up, to the last drop. Don't waste.

Japanese drink miso very often, and the miso and seaweed in the soup is part of what keeps them healthy. It is said that seaweed is so deep green and full of wonderful nutrients that a bit of seaweed beats one serving of your normal vegetables.

Dessert!
Last but not least, it is my Mont Blanc. This Mont Blanc is not the pen, it is a cake. =D

See that thick crust at the bottom? I love it!

Okay, I must be one of those slightly insane people who prefers biscuit to cream, but this is homemade! It is not your normal factory-made thin crust (that you get with most mass market cheesecakes).

Mont Blanc homemade dessert, $8.80.

Actually, this whole thing is homemade. And I love everything (particularly the biscuit), especially that funny fruit on top. I don't know what it is, but it is good.

The best part about this cake is that it is not overly sweet.

Everything at Ma Maison is just so well-balanced and gentle on your tongue.

Service
I did not run into any problems with the service, so I am giving it full marks. I really liked that they clear plates fast, it felt like they secretly keep an eye on you as you eat. And so, they were able to serve your next course right on time. I never had to raise my hand to ask, because everything was done automatically.

My Bill
$51.55. Great price tag! Both of us were amazed at how affordable this was, considering the standard of the food we got. Don't forget, we had dessert! It is way below what we expected, because we have done food trips at many other places that just aren't as good, and the bill always add up to some $70-$80 (it's crazy eating in Japanese restaurants in Singapore).

My take? 10/10.
I will go back again, just to try other things on the menu. And I also want to visit the other outlets because I heard that every Ma Maison outlet in Singapore has a different theme. This one that we visited has a Western theme, so the food is Japanese mixed with European style.

I definitely recommend it to others, perhaps for Mother's Day, Father's Day, anniversaries, and tourists! If you are don't have Ma Maison in your country, come here. It will be a convenient part of the tour if you have the Singapore River (boat cruise), and Clarke Quay night scene on your itinerary.

I would limit the number of people to 4-5, because this place really isn't big, and the tables aren't made to accommodate gatherings or parties. So I wouldn't recommend this for class reunions, unless of course, you reserve the whole restaurant. Read more "Ma Maison at The Central Clarke Quay..."

Robert Timms

I have been seeing this name on the shelves of supermarkets for some time now, since I started shopping for my own groceries.

I am not a coffee drinker, so when I do get the occasional cuppa cafe, I want to drink better ones. I have been frequenting Oriole Cafe & Bar that was recommended by ieatishootipost a long time ago, and even attempt to bring friends there if they ask me where I want to go (but they tend to turn the place down because it is more pricey, and has a lack of vegetarian dishes).

However, Oriole seems to have become a bit too popular and noisy for my liking. In addition, the very poor service is just still not making sense to me.

So the other day, I spotted this new cafe a tiny walk away from Oriole, and tadaa! It's my second time in there now, and I intend to go back to try other dishes.

Okay, so the first thing I ordered was my drink. It's Ginger Herbal Tea, at $7.

I was surprised at the way this is being served even though the menu "forewarned" that it comes in a pot. haha. My idea of a pot is well, literally an English teapot.

It makes me want to buy this!

I have been thinking of buying a pot like this for a few years now, but never really saw the point of it in my house, so I've been procrastinating since.

And I love transparent cups.

I realise I didn't photograph the tea in the cup. haha.

The taste of the tea was good, I will not say great because I feel that Chinese tea always have better tastes. Please don't tell me about comparing apples with oranges, because Ginger Herbal tea exists in Chinese tea culture. I can even make my own.

I think the ginger taste here is on the mild side, but nevertheless detectable, because English customers are not into taking really strong ginger flavour. I like the extremely strong and "hot" taste that Indian Teh Halia has.

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Next, it's my food, and I ordered Kangaroo meat.

Yes, it's Kangaroo meat. It's so exotic that I just had to order it.

What can I say? It's nice!

I love the presentation, I love the buttery taste of the biscuits, I love the small caramelised purple onions, I love the soft and tender, yet still springy kangaroo meat.

That's kangaroo meat for you.

It doesn't tastes like lamb, not like deer, not like beef, much less like pork. It's just special, has a different taste from all the other common meats I've eaten before.

So it's definitely worth your trip here should you require a cup of coffee, a different taste, and a place for celebration. Or maybe, like me, just a deserted place to chill. =)

Rating: 10/10
Yes, so far, the service has been great, and so are drinks and food. Read more "Robert Timms..."

Bakerzin The Moon Rabbits Truffle Snow Skin Mooncakes

Food is never just food in modern Singapore. I admit that I am attracted to packaging, provided the food is good. And alas, I found that Bakerzin's Truffle Snow Skin mooncakes are nice!

This year, Bakerzin's mooncake comes in good quality plastic bags of pink, orange and yellow, with beautiful rabbit printed on it. I was so attracted because of the rabbit. I like rabbit signs, because I think they have a special meaning for me.

In addition, the rabbit theme goes down to being embossed on the mooncake itself. What more can I ask for?

The bag that I actually bought.

The silver foil keep-warm bag that is equally attractive.

Oh my gosh! This drawer, I could reuse it to put my makeup or stationery. I am already using it on my study table.

The rabbit-embossed mooncakes in 4 flavours, two of each.

Rabbits, close-up.

The deal is sweeter, because there is discount for all DBS/POSB card members. At $41.75, I really feel as though I am just buying a bag.

I have opened, cut, and eaten the mooncakes, because I was told they would not last more than two weeks. I thought I cannot finish them, but I feel I can, because they are so small! I cut each of them into eighths, and take a small nibble when I need a sweet treat.

Not wanting to overeat these things, I have also used it as an excuse to invite family and friends over for a tea! Love it. (Now that I am living away from my family, I really feel a real need to be socially active. Otherwise, I think I will go crazy from loneliness.)

PS: I am already planning to get the black and gold durian mooncake. On my plans since last year!

Read more "Bakerzin The Moon Rabbits Truffle Snow Skin Mooncakes..."

Cocoa Green Tea

I think this blog may come to a new phase in life, just as I have come to a new phase in my real life. You may not see as much reviews of "outside" food as you like anymore.

Sometimes, reality sets in, and instead of eating out all day and going back when I feel I need a food break (from "outside" food to homecooked), I have to report home everyday, and provide for others in the house. And that's when the place is called home.

Nevertheless, the basis of my blog is still the same, Sweetly Nice. I stand by eating good, eating well, to feel good and look good. Be it "outside" food or homemade, I will not forget that this blog stems from Positively Nice, which is written with the mentality to share anything that makes you feel and look good. Only difference? Sweetly Nice is about food. Food I eat, recipes, all the edibles.

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What I wish to share today is from a book I have been trying to devour, because it is much thicker, and heavier in hard knowledge than Harry Potter 7. I am presenting my concoction of an antioxidant drink from the book, Full Life Repair Kit - How to undo the damage already done, and keep you sailing on for many years to come, published by Reader's Digest.

Cocoa Green Tea

On page 120, under Choice 1, to "Make more than half of your diet beans, fruits, and vegetables", it say, "just 100g serving of dark chocolate significantly inhibited platelet aggregation, a measure of blood-clotting potential -whereas white or milk chocolate had no effect". Then it suggests, "pair your chocolate with the right red wine or a steaming cup of tea for even more phytochemical prowess". Phytochemicals is the collective term given to thousands of beneficial compounds, including antioxidants.



That's how I was inspired to make the following drink for my post-workout drink.

Large enough cup/mug (preferably tall)

1 green tea bag (I use Pokka Sencha.)

1 tsp cocoa powder (I use Vanhoutten.)

1 long enough spoon to stir

Boililng water

The ingredients.

Simply put the tea bag in the cup together with 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder, pour in the boiling water, stir to dissolve cocoa powder, and get the tea taste, wait for it to cool a bit and drink.

The end product.

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PS: I think that I have never posted openly what I have really been doing, so many may not understand my lifestyle, and where I am coming from. As such, I hope to provide some background information that will fill the gap to this article.

My BMI has been at as high as 30 - 32 before. I am now at 20, which for a non-bodybuilder, this does falls perfectly into the healthy range. I am not aiming to be underweight, even though I have dropped to 17.5. I know, I know, it's horrid, it's bad, and I can swear and tell you the story of how bad it is. All I hope for now, at this stage in life, is to achieve what the title of this book advocates, a Full Life. I need my lifestyle to be sustainable, because I also know what it feels like to have BMI way up there. So I am now in the process of building this sustainability. It will involve a lot of changes, and you may find contradiction here and there because of change. I ask for understanding on this.

The routine now, is to basically move around everyday. 20 min strength (weights) training, followed by 30 min aerobic, and 10 min stretching.

On top of that, I have successfully cut all sugared drinks 7 years ago. I have started eating vegeatbles 7 years ago. I have started eating REAL food 3 years ago. I feel I am now in the phase of eating GOOD food, rather than just REAL food. This means superfoods, food that give maximum nutrient in minimum calories. They are things like strawberries, brocolli, almonds/walnuts, wholegrains. Definitely, this goes down to dark chocolate and green tea, which brings us to back to the point of this article. Why Cocoa? Why Green Tea? Why Hot not iced?

Now that I have answered the food part, I will turn to the point of post-workout drink. Basically, this drink can come in anytime of the day. Good for breakfast, good for tea-time. But I'd just like to add that, after a good workout, we need water, water, and more water. (In another book, it says 4 glasses. Personally, I can only swallow 2.) Followed by good protein, like chicken breast, milk, yoghurt.

P/S/S: I am not sure who else out there is on the same page as me right now. I do feel like a lot of things I say is pointless. But if you are in the same phase of life as I am, you would have seen everything I say a dozen times already. In fact, I think I have read 75% of this book elsewhere, but in bits and pieces. The thing about this book, is that it does not only gives me information. It gives me Scientific backing, loads of it (this is the 25% I don't know). And it structures EVERYTHING in one book. I dare say, it's the single most advanced and comprehensive life wellness book, including tests. It builds you from your past to your future. It is idiot-proof.

***I paid for everything I have mentioned here.***

Read more "Cocoa Green Tea..."

DOME

Recently, I have grown a bit obsessed with the cakes from a cafe in Subang Parade called DOME. Found the best cheesecake ever there. =)

Here are just some of the food that I've tried:


Espreski RM18++

Honeycomb

Espreski is a range of drinks at DOME that is made of milk and ice cream, with shaved ice made of mineral water, and having cute chocolate things on top, such as Crunche Honeycomb, Nestle Chocolate frogs and such.

This, to my disappointment, isn't much to rave about. For its price, one can easily get ice cream-blended drinks of the same taste elsewhere. The part that I don't like about this range of drinks is the fact that whatever is placed on the dome of cream can be bought at supermarket at a much lower price.

Rating: 2.5/5
Overly-priced drink without a wow.

Chicken Foccacia with Avocado sauce RM22++

This is an extremely disappointing food, given that my hopes about the quality and taste of their main course grew so much over the week, after tasting their bakery products.

The bread is rather hard, although it tastes pretty good. I think it may be the type of bread (flat bread, foccacia, etc), rather than bad baking. I like the wedges, really crispy and tasty without being overly salted, in fact, I think they make their own wedges, because it feels rather bland.

However, the main part, the chicken, was so dry and hard, it tasted like cardboard, and I just couldn't finish it. I could find much wow in the avocado sauce spread on the bread as well.

Rating: 2.5/5
Kind of just liked the wedges. I would fail everything else, apart from the fact that this is a most healthy meal. Extremely healthy.

Meanwhile (while my handphone is down, and no pictures), I must say their Marble Cheesecake IS a clear winner in my pursuit of the best cheesecake. I swear it beats Hilton Hotel's, Bakerzin's, Ippudo's Japanese, McCafe, and light Cedele's one, ALL hands down. The way there is thought put into every corner of Dome's cheesecake is clear as crystal, and it not only made me want to take a second mouth, but want to try every single cake out of their bakery. The gap between Dome's bakery and others is so large that I'd gladly pay some RM13 for a slice. Superbly satisfying yet feels healthy. Strange. But no, don't trust my blinded judgment. Cake, by any measure can never be all that healthy, especially not if you eat one after a full meal everyday. Dome's is just too nice that I am blinded. haha. If you are a cheesecake fanatic like me, must try should you spot DOME in Malaysia.

And the other thing is the Heavenly Scones. Yes, they are heavenly. Extreme good since I first tasted scones at Nanyang Cafe. This must be the taste ieat talks about when he visited Europe. I am sure. This one, yes, I can say that it's a value for money, healthy and tasteful breakfast. Read more "DOME..."

French Toast & Lemon Tea @ OTWC

So it's another day of better internet connection at Old Town White Coffee across the street... ...

The decor here.

I like the view and feel of the 2nd floor. Reminds me of the kiddie days at standalone MacDonalds. Ah, that was when there was still enough land in Singapore to have standalone two storey buildings.

Love, love the feel. 古色古香.

Today, I decided to try yet another thing on the menu that I haven't eaten, and those are French Toast and Fresh Lemon Tea.

French Toast

Enticing.

Yuuuuummmm, wow, this must be the nicest French Toast I've had so far. It looks delicious, cuts down like Tofu, eats like crispy tofu, and is very well, not overly salted. Makes me want to take one bite, after another, and another.

It is also very soft white bread. And I like the way the serving is always rather generous at Old Town.

Tofu-like soft white bread soaked in egg and milk probably, like the usual French Toast recipe.

Between the slices, hides fragrant peanut butter, which is really a tasty surprise. And it gets even better when I cut towards the center, where the honey and butter is.

Surprise and delicious peanut butter.

Altogether, this makes for a nutritious and balanced breakfast, with a good amount of carbohydrates, some fats to kick start the fat metabolism, and honey to top it off. Some times, there is wisdom in traditional breakfast.

Rating: 5/5

Fresh Lemon Tea

wow.

I was actually a little doubtful if they'd really give me fresh lemon tea, and not from the canned drinks... ... But yes, it is real unsugared, unmilked tea with a fresh slice of lemon floating . Truly just my cup of tea.

Very nice balance there again. Now, I think, apart from the White Coffee, this has to be my other favourite drink. Much healthier than the Rose Float. haha, I felt so guilty with that one.

Rating: 5/5
This comes in cold one too.

Overall rating: 10/10
These two things are absolutely the kind of breakfast that will get you licking off the fork and knife, and teacup. :PPP

PS: Having tried the other breads from Old Town, I would say, just skip them if you don't dine here often. Go straight for this French Toast. Get your value and money's worth. =) Read more "French Toast & Lemon Tea @ OTWC..."

Waffle Pancake (Chinese) @ NTU Canteen 2 - Worth Your Trip In!

This is a day of mixed feelings for me. It's the kind of time that you feel so happy to be leaving and looking forward to the next phase in life, yet so sad to leave because you've spent time and effort at some place, thus find it maddening hard to say goodbye. Alas, we are all too familiar with it!

So for the 3rd time in my life, I made my way over to Canteen 2, one of the oldest, and arguably the most famous canteen on campus, if not most popular, due to its inconvenient location after the school expanded decades ago. My exam hall was just a stone's throw away, kind of opposite from Can 2, as we affectionately know our canteens as.

So what's so great about Can 2? Why did I make a special "last day" trip there?

All the simplest things in life. =)

Canteen 2. I can never understand why canteens bother to give names in school. We still know them by numbers and alphabets no matter what pattern they come out with.

Every freshmen would hear of the legendary waffles, half-boiled egg breakfast, Western and Beef Ball Noodles. And having eaten them all before, except for beef balls, since I don't eat beef, I can vouch that they do live up to the accolade, other than the Western, which is supposedly from Old Airport Road.

Here is my parting meal, in toast to the school, the friends, the professors, the greenery, the bus drivers. That's all! haha, I am NOT going to say the "and finally, thank you EVERYBODY" Star Award speech. hahaha.

Waffle Pancake

Deliciously green, nicely browned and crispy sides.

Flavours: peanut butter, kaya, chocolate, blueberry, cheese, lemon, orange, and many more!

Price: flavoured ones are all $1.50. Ice cream ones is up to $3.70 for 3 scoops (the scoops are huge).

Other popular order from aunty: Hotdog bun, Ice Cream Waffle

Looks
If you watch Aunty making this, you would already be drawn in by the mint green colour of her batter. A lot of pandan and a lot of egg whites.

When you see her taking your waffle out of the pan, you will WOW! at how hard it looks, because of the way she handles it with the food thongs. This waffle can't even bend and close up properly when just cooked.

And then you sit down, open up the white paper bag in anticipation, and there is what you see. =) Green, nicely 50% browned large squares with ultra crispy edges.


Rating: 5/5

Taste
Depending on what flavour you buy, you may or may not like yours. But so far, I've tried plain, peanut butter, cheese, blueberry, strawberry, chocolate and orange. The lemon was sold out at tea time, so I guess that should be quite the best seller.

While the cheese is just a slice of cheese from the packet kind, the chocolate is real chocolate and not Nutella, the orange, blueberry and strawberry are all well-flavoured spreads that do not taste like your normal supermarket jam. (Nutella is not chocolate as it only has a relatively small amount of cocoa powder by mass, and its heaviest weight component is none other than the hazelnut spread.)

Also, the waffle plain is already very nice, because of the thin crisp on the skin, and strong pandan flavour. It is slightly oily, but just a bit. Without oil, a lot of taste would be gone.

Orange spread, and notice that ultra crispy edge at the end?

Amount
I actually don't like the way hawkers scrimp on the spreads nowadays by only applying them on one side. =( They didn't use to do that a few years ago. But oh well, policemen wore trousers in the past... Times really have changed.

However, this compensated well for the less than desirable amount because it is still tasty enough. And we should have a healthier lifestyle. haha.

Rating: 4.5/5

Crisp
This is the ONE thing that I believe Singaporeans are looking out for. It's kind of strange how we became so fussy about crisp in everything from the charred edges of char siew to the golden brown of roast pork, the caramelized skin of roast duck, Belgium waffles, French Fries, traditional toast (till the point of biscuit), burger bun bread... ... (Does this list ever ends??? haha.)

And yes, the reason why I put this waffle on pedestal, almost worship status (nah, I wouldn't worship a waffle. Just maybe my holy grail waffle... lol.), is because of the unbeatable crisp. I hardly think something this good can be found outside, where the commercialized world is, and hawkers are about how many pieces of waffles at the lowest costs rather than good tasting food.

Rating: 5/5
Can I give 6?

The thing about this waffle, is that Aunty herself knows it's hugely popular! She was asking me why no queue today. As she normally sees the snaking queue coming in after the exams, when people just want to eat. At night, slightly after dinner time, you really have to wait looong looong for this. It's like the "I can't pass by Can 2 without buying that, or else it's wasted walk all the way here" kind of mentality.

Such is the status of this waffle, that it gets invited to our on-campus carnivals/fairs. And if you advertise your event with complimentary Canteen 2 waffles, you can bet people will turn up. =)

The Secret
To honestly tell, this is no secret. All decent bakers or cooking-lovers would have somehow heard of the hot-cold and/or cold-hot transition that always seems to be the key to an extra *bling* to your delicacy. All you have to do for a crispier waffle, is to mix your batter with cold water if you need to add water, then refrigerate it.

What I saw Aunty did was to leave two tubs of batter outside, one for scooping, the other, just leave it. She doesn't finishes her batter. When she has used it to half-full, she refilled it with the batter from the 2nd tub. Then she opens the refrigerator, sitting inside are another handful of tubs, she takes a cold one out. From this cold one, she refilled the 2nd tub. Now, this 3rd tub would only be left with half. Then from the 1st now-full tub, she refilled the 3rd cold tub. She left the 1st and 2nd tub aside, mix the batter of the 3rd cold tub well, and she now scoops from that 3rd tub!

2nd stall on the left of the entrance.

Of course this is not the entire secret. It still has got to do with the ingredients ratio, and all, since hers is superbly generously tasty. I just thought that the sight I describe above is like a wonderful confirmation of the open secret I have long heard of.

Overall rating: 10/10

When I first ate this, I know there is not going to be something else that will beat it... It's that kind of feeling of when you found a Holy Grail skincare product or foundation, and you just know you will stick to it for years and years.

West-side foodies should definitely make a trip in. It's not that difficult if you go to Jurong Point enough. Just a bus in, plus the cheaper meals on campus too...

In fact, I think waffles are like the pandan cakes of Gen-Y. We seriously are obsessed about waffles. There is cafe restaurant that actually sells waffles and waffles alone! It's waffles buffet some more. And waffles are so easy to make they have become a standard fixture at your neighbourhood bakery. Everybody is buying one, they even sell the single pan at Harvey Norman for home use. But to make a good waffles, that's really few and far between. One can only make good food if one cares and has the heart to.

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I didn't buy the Western, as I tried the also-famous fish and chips once, really no good. My friend says the beef balls are normal only as well. I'd recommend non-students who go in for food, to ride the shuttle bus up to North Spine, MacDonald's air-con canteen for Inodnesian BBQ or Japanese Eel Don, or Tom Yum Ban Mian, or Chicken Chop rice. The Indo BBQ is THE one. The rest are about 4/5 with my ratings.

If you take the bus alllll the way down to Canteen B/Business School Canteen, the chicken rice and yong tau foo are the good ones by canteen standards. The single steamboat meal is also hot hot favourite amongst the students. We like to celebrate good days with a filling meal in a self-cook Seoul Garden style, except that this is steamboat. You could always get a cup of good soymilk from Mr Bean there too. Don't forget sugarcane juice if you go early. This sells like hotcakes, always out of stock too. (It's just sugarcane, but you can't really get sugarcane nowadays unless you live around old old markets like Bedok Interchange.)

Wow, so I managed a good 2 paragraphs on what to eat in school!

Will continue with 1-minute reviews on the rest of the food today:

Chicken Rice + Char Siew

The chicken is really soft, and has no trace of blood. This alone scores very well with me, even though it's bland on the inside. The rice is on the whole tasty, but not the absolutely chicken oil coated and fragrance kind. The char siew is not bad, has a good balanced sweet taste, but isn't crispy, and has quite a lot of fats as well. The chili is spicy, but too sour.

Close up to look at the rice. Non-yellow = will not be so nice. But you can see the glistening char siew.

Rating: 6/10

Next up, is my obsession with cheesecake, the tendency to buy no matter how bad I feel it will be... Not really. This one looks really good, and the texture IS good.

Bailey's Cheesecake $3

Amazingly nice cheesecake from school. The other two, at Nanyang Auditorium cafe, and Executive's Cafe are horrible. Very good tofu texture, with spongey look but feels very smooth, with enough chew. However, the cheese taste is close to zero, with a hue of Bailey's... Well, I guess, I really can't expect that guy to pour a shot of Bailey's inside a $3 cake! haha.  But I wouldn't buy this again.

Rating: 3/5

Double Chocolate Muffin

I am not a fan of muffins, as I find that always too buttery, and bland in flavour. This is not buttery, but only looks very black, without much chocolate taste. There are a few chocolate chips here and there, which feels good when you find them. Other than that, it was a disappointment, because it really looked so brownie and chocolate-y. =(

Rating: 2.5/5
It would pass as a food. Read more "Waffle Pancake (Chinese) @ NTU Canteen 2 - Worth Your Trip In!..."

CK Tangs Mdm Cynthia's Pandan Chiffon Cake - Trip to find THE one

After a rave by one of ieat's readers about a hidden not-for-sale heavenly Pandan Chiffon Cake, I just had to check it out. The tip-off says that cooking tips are guaranteed, with the sweet bonus that THE cake is free.

 Cynthia a bit paiseh (shy) when I first asked if I could take photos. haha.

Pouring the batter  for Banana Marble Swirl Chiffon Cake into the chiffon cake mold.

Making paper thin egg omelette with anionized Super-B pot, while we waited for the cake to be ready.

Yay! Cutting the cake.

I adore the mold to bits. It has those waves, so you get a jelly shape. Look at how smooth and nicely-brown the skin is. Not to mention the marble pattern she created with chocolate.

Plump and standing tall.

PS: I lost my last photo of the cake slice I took. Sigh. My handphone is a little cranky.

But the cake is to die for! I have no idea how it compares to ieat's one (only him and family would know...). All I can say is that, on my side, I feel that her cake is everything I want of a chiffon.

As you can see, it looks so good. It has a thin layer of crispy skin, with spongy looking, beautifully and naturally coloured inside, and mashes into a cream texture the moment you bite and chew. It has the toughness to give you a slight kick when biting, unlike Bengawan Solo's, that basically breaks with a touch and crumbles into nothingness in your mouth, only to leave the boring taste of plain sugar.

It is a little bit oily, but definitely still on the safe side, since it's homemade. And sweet, but not diabetic. I know that it might be mild and perhaps even tasteless for older people, who somehow prefer heavy tastes. But for modern Singaporeans, who are getting more health conscious, one really can't fault this cake. Moreover, if you home make your own, you are free to adjust the sweetness. This is just a demo for the pots.

Rating: 5/5
Try it while she is still there making cakes and demos. She also gives tips along the way, like to sort of carry/hug it in two forearms, and swirl it to release the bubbles, then tap gently a few times if you really think there are bubbles still, instead of knocking the tin hard. I guess you could still knock the tin hard, but for her jelly mold, you did dent the jelly shape badly!! Doesn't matters for those flat top ones we normally see on the market. haha.

******

At the end of it all, I did make a purchase, as I need a set of cooking wares quite soon. Thought no harm getting it now, since it was supposedly on promotion for Mother's Day. LOL, promos... :P

I also like the way this cake would only take 15 min to cook in that pot, while Cynthia said that you'd have to set your oven to 180 deg C for 45 min if you want to use an oven.


(Please note that business is still business, and Mdm Cynthia and assistants are honestly making a decent living, so please be kind enough not to go everyday for free cakes without buying. Although, she does gives them out to fellow workers/friends at Tangs, out of goodwill. I stood there for the whole time the cake was cooking, so I was a little pressurized to buy, as one of the assistants kept asking if I intended to get anything. Suggest you take a walk and return if you feel you really will not be interested at all, but still want a taste of the cake. Don't say I say one. hahahaha.

On another note, practically all the viewers who stood a good while bought! Quite amazing. We were all impressed by the cake, and popcorn. The popcorn is good too, if you are not for diabetic ones from the likes of GV. Her cutey mould can be used for oven too, so no worries if you don't want that pot. I just like the jelly shape... haha. Pardon me.) Read more "CK Tangs Mdm Cynthia's Pandan Chiffon Cake - Trip to find THE one..."